Sterling Morrison

BEST KNOWN AS: guitarist, occasional vocalist and founding member of art-rock gods the Velvet Underground

THE INTEL: Morrison’s first go at college was something of a disappointment: he dropped out of Syracuse University, where he studied English, a few semesters shy of completing his undergraduate studies. A few years later, while playing with the band in New York City, Morrison resumed his education and got his bachelor’s degree from City College. In 1971, only a few months after Lou Reed left the Velvet Underground in a bitter dispute, Morrison began postgraduate work in medieval literature at the University of Texas at Austin — after quitting the band at an airport in Houston. He became something of a local celebrity and finally earned his Ph.D. in 1986. Morrison played in several VU reunion tours in the early ’90s and died in 1995.

BRAINIAC RATING, ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 11: 9

EXTRA CREDIT: To help pay the bills while studying for his doctorate, Morrison worked on tugboats on Houston’s waterways, eventually captaining his own boat when he lost his job as a teaching assistant.